Too young for this
by gracelions
Summary: The Winchesters spend a summer staying in one place. John still goes to hunts leaving his boys with a babysitter. He thinks they're safe, but are they really safe? Sam doesn't like their babysitter because she's irresponsible putting Sam through a dangerous adventure as he tries to help his brother. Will they come out alright? Will John come back in time?
1. Chapter 1 - House for the summer

John Winchester knew what was out there hiding in the dark. He knew that the safety he believed in in all his life before that fateful night was just an illusion. He knew that if he wanted his boys safe then he needed to teach them everything about the world. He learned the hard way by losing his beloved Mary, his beautiful wife died over their baby's crib. He would never forget that night because that was when he learned that his boys weren't safe and his wife got killed while trying to protect her 6 months old baby. Ever since he lost Mary, he was hunting the monster who dared to kill her.  
In the five years that went by since that night he clung to the only thing that kept him sane, his boys. The two son Mary gave him and who he swore to protect till he's dead.  
The kids grew so much since they began their new lifestyle where there's no place they call home for more than a couple of weeks. But you can't really call motel rooms, apartments or rented houses home. The boys however didn't care. All they cared about was each other and their father. They didn't like when he went on hunts even though the younger one had no idea what his father work is.  
The small family was on the road right now. The black chevy impala ran smoothly on the empty roadway leaving the dusty little town, where the Winchesters stopped for lunch, behind. The family's patriarch sat behind the wheel watching the road as the car moved forward and occasionally looking in the rearview mirror to take a look at his sons in the back seat.  
Dean Winchester was a 9 years old boy, who's, whole world resolved around his father and brother. Right now he sat on the backseat of the impala with his brother Sam. His baby brother was only 5 years old and taking a nap at the moment. The little boy's head was resting on the older brother's lap. Dean watched his brother while carding his fingers through the youngster's hair and holding one of the small hands in his own.  
The interior of the impala was silent and calm as the family was on it's way for the next town they will live in for some time. The father of the two boy was glad it was summer because it meant that he didn't need to en role his children in the elementary school and kindergarten. Summers were John's favorite time of year because there was no school that gave him a headache with all the paperwork he needed to get done to en role or take his boys out of one and he has more time to spend with his children.  
The Winchesters reached the rented house that, would be their home for the next couple of weeks, around 8 pm. John got out of the car shutting the door behind him. He walked up to the owner of the building, who stood at the entrance waiting for him. The owner was a fit woman in her early forties wearing a simple green shirt, dark blue jeans and sport shoes. Her short dark brown hair framed her round face, warm brown eyes and kind smile. The woman looked a little like a disorganized person, but John knew better than that. He talked with her only once over the phone, but he was able to confirm that she was a kind hearted, organized woman. When he reached her she welcomed him, introduced herself and shook hands with him. He gave her the contract she faxed him days ago look over and sign if he found it good and still wanted to rent the house. She made sure he signed it then gave him the keys after putting away the contract.  
"Thanks." said the hunter turning away to go back to the car.  
"Mr. Winchester!" called the owner making John look back at her. "I would like to introduce myself to your kids so they would know who I am and that I only come when it's needed."  
The father thought about it for a minute then chose to let her. He didn't think that it would be a problem or cause one so he nodded his head. He went back to his car with the owner, opened the back seat door, took his baby in his arms and lifted him out of the car after his first born was assured that the woman won't hurt the youngster. The older boy got out of the car and stood next to his father watching the woman's every move like a hawk.  
"Hello." smiled the woman. "My name is Lara Maron. I'm the owner of this house. I live down this street in the green two story high house. You will only see me when I come for the renting's money every thursday and if there's something I need to talk about the house with your father."  
Dean was happy because he could tell that this woman was saying the truth. He could tell from his father's slightly relaxed shoulders, soft, but solid hold he had on his brother and from the barely noticeable rocking motions he made to keep the 5 year old from waking up and possibly rock him in a deep sleep.  
"I'm Dean and that's my brother Sam."  
"Nice to meet you." answered Lara before saying bye to the family and walking down the street towards her home.  
John walked up to the house with his older son. Walking through the front door they found them self's on the edge of a living room. The walls of the room were light red giving the room a warm glow in the day's last rays of sunlight. There was a couch and two armchairs with a small glass coffee table standing in front of them and a television sitting in front of the table on a big nightstand a few feet away from it. On the other side of the room were a couple of bookshelves packed full of every kind of book. Most of the shelves had children books. Only the two highest shelves had books for teens and adults, but John didn't mind it, in fact he was overly happy because it meant that he can read many different stories for his baby boy.  
The small family walked through the living room, up on the carpeted stairs and into a medium seized bedroom which had two single bed, two table with chairs for the kids to write their homework or draw on, two nightstand with small lamps on them. There was a switch right next to the doorframe which operated the lamp that hang from the ceiling. There were two dresser and a clothes closet with coat hangers across the room from the beds while the room's only window had the two table on each side of it. The window was big, looking over the landscape behind the house, and had thick, dark green curtains.  
John looked around the room, his boys will have for the next months, then the one he will have which was across from the other approvingly. The bathroom was down the hall with a third bedroom across from it. He saw the kitchen and the washing room when they were walking up the stairs. He was happy that they had stopped to eat dinner before coming here because his children, but mostly his baby needed sleep. He walked into the boys, room and tucked Sammy in in the bed farther from the door after taking his shoes off. "Watch out for Sammy while I salt the doors and windows!" ordered the father his oldest before walking out to get everything they need.  
The Winchester patriarch carried everything inside from the impala in three turns then began to salt the doors and windows. He went over the house methodically before making salt circles around their beds. He walked around the house to make sure he didn't left anything out. Once he made sure that nothing could come in he went back to his sons and laid them down to sleep in their separate beds, which means that he put Dean in his own bed and tucked him in because Sammy was already in a deep sleep. Once John was done with everything he walked into his room and got in his bed after he took off his shoes. He fell into sleep easily and let his body get the rest it needed so much.


	2. chapter 2 - The tale of nightmares

John woke up to the feeling of small hands softly shaking him. He opened his eyes and looked up at his baby only half awake. He saw the youngster's tousled brown hair, which stood out every which way giving him a slightly comical look. His big blue-green eyes looked at his father with such love and warmth that John's heart soared. The boy looked so innocent and full of wonder that the father dreaded the day he will fill the kid in on what's out there. He wanted to keep the boy the way he is now, but knew he couldn't do that if he wanted him safe. He will need to tell him the truth, but he will hold it off until he really needs to. Right now he was content with being able to hug him and hold him close to his chest. Breathing in the boy's scent always soothed his nerves making him cling to his baby all the more.

Sam pulled his face away from his dad's shirt to be able to talk. "Daddy! I'm hungry." said the youngster softly. "Can we have breakfast now?"

The ex-marine smiled happily at his 5-year-old son, nodding his head he went over to the boys' room and woke Dean up. The older boy looked up at him sleepily until he saw his little brother, who was at the moment hiding his face in their father's shirt, in John's arms. He shot up from bed only to discover that the boy was only resting his eyes while snuggling as close to their father as he could because he missed his father when he was away, not so long ago, on a hunt. The green- eyed boy was really anxious when his father was away because his brother had nightmares every night and cried for his daddy. The youngster had asked Dean when their only parent will be back. He uttered that question at least once in every hour spent awake.

John saw how his oldest son fell in deep thought by only watching his brother. He didn't know what the boy was thinking about, but he knew his first born will tell him if it's important. He placed his right hand on Dean's shoulder while keeping Sam safely in his hold. "Are you hungry buddy?" asked John. The 9-year-old looked up at his father and nodded. He walked beside his father down to the kitchen where he sat down on a chair and his dad placed his brother in the seat next to him.

The boys watched as their father made them toasts, bacon and scrambled eggs. The sound of sizzling bacons and the smell of cooking eggs made Dean's mouth water and stomach growl with hunger. Now that their dad was there with them he could feel his appetite coming back all at once with a deep hunger that slowly settled in the days he worried about his brother. The youngster had problems with eating and sleeping normally, he was jumpy, anxious and really clingy. Dean couldn't leave him alone for more than five minutes, couldn't give him anything to entertain him to be able to take a longer shower, but the thing that really scared him was the fact his little brother needed to hear Dean's heartbeat to fall asleep and be able to sleep, but even that calm sound accompanied by the older boy's protective embrace couldn't fight off the constant nightmares. The 9-year-old shuddered at the thought of the nightmares. The lighter ones only made his baby brother squirm softly and sob lightly, the milder ones what are only a couple of hairs breath away in severity from the worst ones. Those made Sam flail around with his arms and legs kicking and hitting wildly. But the worst ones scared the little boy half to death eliciting a bloody murder scream out of him in the middle of the night. After Dean woke him up from one of the worsts he was hysterical and didn't know it was only a dream. It took the older brother to calm him down and realize it was only a bad dream at least an hour or if he wasn't lucky it took him an hour and a half. After the whole ordeal the younger brother wouldn't go to sleep for another hour. Dean needed to give him a mug of warm milk and stay under the covers with him to keep him warm and calm while slowly soothing him back to sleep.

After John came back the youngster went from a couple hours of sleep to several hours of sleep during the day and full nights, sleep without nightmares. The drastic change scared Dean. He didn't think it was normal to change this easily and fastly. He dreaded the moment when the nightmares will come back. He didn't let himself be comforted by the false hope that the nightmares has ended once and for all.

Once the Winchester patriarch was done preparing breakfast, he turned around and placed the food on the table in front of his children. He smiled as sons dug into the food with great gusto. He laughed at the sight of his first born practically inhaling his meal while his baby ate at a slower pace, but rather messily. The little boy had jelly smeared across his face and hands, his feet kicked back and forth under the table and he smiled so happily that John's heart soared. He sat down and began to eat, happy that he can be with his children again. He had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling there was something wrong. He wanted to savor the quality time he was spending with his boys so he dismissed it until the end of breakfast, because until then he didn't realize that his baby boy only ate one small toast after he put a big portion of jelly on it as best as a five years old could.

"Do you want more food Sammy?" asked John hoping his baby will say yes and deflating when the boy shook his head. He didn't want his youngest with admitting his concerns out loud in front of him so he just gave the boy a glass full of orange juice and watched him drink it up. He stood up, wet a rag and went back to his children. He cleaned his baby from the sticky jelly then he sneaked his free hand to the boy's sensitive side and began tickling the youngster. Laughter bubbled up from Sam's throat to burst out and create an endless looking happy laughter that shook his body. The long laugh put tears of happiness in his eyes, tears that were only now trekking down his face, not stopping on their own only ceasing in heaviness when the tickling stopped. The salty drops of water came to a complete stop with the laughter leaving the boy breathless and wet faced.

Dean's heart warmed at the sight of his laughing brother. He nearly forgot what it was like when the youngster was happy and carefree. He watched the light that reappeared in his baby brother's eyes. Blue-green eyes shined like before.' _Before the nightmares.'_ Thought the blond haired boy sadly. He feared that the nightmares will continue and take the happiness from the 5 year old along with the light in his eyes over and over again until they rob them from him forever. He knew he shouldn't be thinking like that, but he just couldn't ban the depressing thoughts from his mind. He didn't want to have hope for he was afraid to be disappointed which would mean falling down from the dream clouds back to the harsh reality Even though he was only 4 when it happened to him for the first time he still remembers the feeling clearly.

Sam Winchester was really happy right now. His daddy was back, his nightmares are gone and his brother was back to being himself. He knew he was the reason Dean acted differently, but couldn't do anything against it. He was sure his father' presence and reassurance will solve the problem forever.


	3. Chapter 3 - The new hunt

After breakfast the small family went to the living room where they sat down on the couch to watch television together. The father of the boys sat with his youngest on his lap and oldest at his right side. The three male sat there for an hour or two before John sent his boys up to change clothes while he packed up in the kitchen.

Dean watched his baby brother pull on his clothes waiting for the usual anxious twitches the boy had been exhibiting when their father was away on the last hunt, but for some reason the boy was calm and collected. Nothing like before the arrival of their father. The sudden change brought relief and anxiety. The older boy was relieved his brother was back to normal, but this quick as lightning type of change could only mean something bad. No one goes from anxious and fearful to calm and happy in the blink of the eye. Looking at his little brother now it was impossible to even imagine it was the same boy who was afraid someone will attack them any second.

Young Sammy Winchester finally felt good after a long time. He hadn't been this calm in the last two weeks when his father was away working somewhere far from them. Even though his brother took great care of him he was plagued with nightmares and filled with fear and anxiety. Dean had tried to calm him down, but nothing worked for he didn't know the origin of his troubles and so helping him was impossible for his brother.

While the brothers were changing upstairs John got a call from Pastor Jim about a hunt a couple of towns from where they were. After little bit of thinking the patriarch said yes to the hunt and got the information from his friend. After Jim ended the call the hunter called Miss Maron to ask if she could help him find a babysitter for his boys for the time he will be away. The woman said yes so fast he couldn't help, but blink a couple of times to get his bearings back. He got a piece of paper and the nearest writing utensil which turned out to be a pencil. The woman gave him a name, address, age and phone number of a woman who had been working as a babysitter for years now.

John pondered over all the options and informations he had on the woman and the hunt while taking into account their current situation. Figuring hiring her was their best option he gave a call immediately and hired the babysitter.

The Winchester patriarch looked up when he heard the sound of his sons' footsteps coming down the stairs.


End file.
